Duke basketball: Wendell Moore granted one of highest honors in NCAA

Duke basketball sophomore Wendell Moore has been bestowed one of the highest honors in the college basketball world.

Social and racial justice has once again been brought to the forefront throughout the summer, and Duke basketball forward Wendell Moore has been leading that charge.

Moore organized a social justice protest in his hometown of Concord, North Carolina earlier in the summer and has carried his message across his social media platforms.

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The forward’s message has been so powerful he has been named to the first-ever National Association of Basketball Coaches Player Development Coalition.

This coalition, named by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), handpicked 11 players across the country to help have the voices of players heard when it comes to a multitude of issues in the sport, not only racial and social issues.

“Whether it’s NIL, transfer parameters, social justice, COVID-19, or a host of other important topics currently impacting college basketball, we will make sure student-athletes’ voices are heard. We will also structure the Player Development Coalition to be an impactful experience that benefits these young men well beyond their college years,” NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson said in a statement.

Joining Wendell Moore on the Players Development Coalition are Armando Bacot of North Carolina, Evan Battey of Colorado, Keion Brooks Jr. of Kentucky, Kale Catchings of Harvard, Collin Gillespie of Villanova, Corey Kispert of Gonzaga, Joshua Langford of Michigan State, RJ Nembhard, of TCU, Bourama Sidibe of Syracuse, and John-Michael Wright of High Point.

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Bacot, Brooks Jr., Moore, and Wright are the only sophomores to be named to the coalition. The other members are comprised of juniors and seniors. No freshmen were named to the organization.

The announcement of the Player Development Coalition comes on the heels of Big Ten football players hinting at possibly forming a union over disputes that its season would be canceled or postponed over COVID-19 concerns, where the Big Ten and Pac-12 eventually canceled all fall sports in its conferences.

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In his freshman year at Duke, Wendell Moore averaged 7.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, and with all four captains from last year no longer in Durham (Tre Jones, Jack White, Javin DeLaurier, and Justin Robinson), Moore could be looking at more of a leadership role in his second season under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.